


Sing It Right

by Alexandria (heartfullofelves)



Category: Hornblower (TV)
Genre: Love Song, M/M, Serenade, Singing, Spanish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-11
Updated: 2013-12-11
Packaged: 2018-01-25 17:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1656188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartfullofelves/pseuds/Alexandria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During their time in the Spanish prison, Archie serenades Horatio with a guitar and his lovely voice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sing It Right

Who knew how long they had been imprisoned? Days, weeks, months? Horatio Hornblower had stopped counting now – why did it matter? He was convinced that he would be in this Spanish prison for the rest of his days, his life slowly ending, day by day, as he waited for an escape that would not come. He sighed, resting his head against the cell wall.

Even his friend Archie Kennedy’s presence brought him no cheer. Archie was well again, but today he had remained mostly silent, brooding over something that Horatio knew not what. The two of them were lost in their thoughts and, without meaning to, sighed at the same time.

They looked at each other. “It’s the sitting here doing nothing bit I don’t like,” Horatio spoke at last. “I just can’t stand it.”

“I know,” Archie sympathised. “I know.”

They fell silent again, leaving each other to their own thoughts.

* * *

 

That evening, the “duchess” visited their cell, but this time it was not Horatio she came to see, but Archie. Horatio frowned as his friend walked off with the duchess, confused at as to why he was seeing her at this time of day, and why he was seeing her at all. Something was going on; he knew that for a fact.

“I brought the _guitarra_ you asked for,” the duchess smiled. “Just make sure to play it very quietly so you don’t upset the guards.”

“Actually it was the attention of the rest of the crew that I was more worried about,” Archie told her in earnest.

She nodded her understanding and was about to say more when a guard’s footsteps sounded nearby. She pushed the guitar into his hands and nudged him back to the cell, unlocking and locking the door with the key she had stolen – or borrowed without permission – earlier. “Good luck,” she whispered.

Horatio looked up from his knees when Archie came back in, and tried to raise one eyebrow, but found he couldn’t. “What do you have that for?” he asked, gesturing at the guitar.

Right on cue, Archie went over to him and knelt so that he seemed inferior. “ _Ayy_ ,” he sang as he strummed the guitar. “ _Mi amor, me dueles tanto. Te quiero, pero no me quieres._ ” He kept singing, watching Horatio’s face as he played. “¿ _Por qué amor me duele tanto? Ayyy, mi amor, me dueles tanto._ ¿ _Por qué?_ ¿ _Por qué me dueles tanto, mi amooor?_ _Ayyy, te quiero y quiero que me quieras_.”

Horatio’s face must have shown some emotion other than happiness, for Archie then said: “ _Mi amor,_ ¿ _qué pasa?”_

Horatio didn’t understand the question, but it seemed to be something along the lines of _what’s the matter?_ He shook his head. “Please, continue. _Por favor,_ ” he added.

Archie’s blue eyes remained fastened on Horatio’s dark ones as he continued strumming for a few bars. Then he began to sing again, only this time in English, translating the song.

Horatio’s heart swelled as he understood what his friend was saying at last. At the ends of the song he smiled, and reached for Archie’s hand. “That was lovely, Archie, thank you. I feel well and truly serenaded.”

“That was the idea,” Archie grinned. “Now does this lowly minstrel get a reward?”

“He does. Oh, he does,” agreed Horatio, his smiling turning wicked.


End file.
